Sacrifice
by Behind-Their-Eyes
Summary: Alex and Olivia's relationship will be put to the test when Liv gets a case that hits a little too close to home for one of them. This story is a collab between Liv-and-Love and LiziJ1987 so you know it'll have both action and fluff!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Olivia Benson pulled into the parking garage of her building a little after 5:30pm. She turned off the engine and leaned back into her seat, letting her eyes close for a just few seconds. Olivia hadn't had a particularly taxing day; there were no new cases, no new victims, no nothing, just mountains of un-ending paperwork which always made her eyes sore. In fact, it had been a really quiet week but no-one dared mention it, because as soon as someone did, there'd be a new case falling at their feet. The detective rubbed her tired eyes and exited her vehicle, locking it behind her.

As she rode the elevator and got closer and closer to her apartment, the butterflies in her belly grew because she knew it wouldn't be long before she would be greeted by her girlfriend of two years.Just a glance at Alex Cabot and all Liv's weariness would fade away. The brunette reached her door and dug into her pockets for her keys. She was about to open the door when her phone vibrated in her jacket pocket, she smiled when she saw the name of the caller.

"Hey you," Olivia absentmindedly pushed the door open with her knee.

"_Hey_," Alex answered sounding exasperated. "_Just wanted to call and let you know that I have an unscheduled meeting with Liz so I won't be home for at least another hour_."

"Has it been a long day sweetie?" Olivia asked, dropping her gun and badge on the bed while simultaneously kicking off her shoes.

"_It really has, I can't wait to get home_."

"Well, I'll make sure that when you do get home; your long day will be well and truly forgotten." Olivia said huskily.

"_Is that a promise_?" The blonde's mood shifted, thoughts of what was in store for them both later making the hour she had left seem a little less harder to bare.

"You know it." The brunette replied and Alex could hear the mischievousness in her tone. "Now go get back to work so you can get here faster." Olivia chuckled.

"_I don't need to be told twice, I'll see you soon. Love you_."

"Love you too." Olivia grinned as she tossed the phone onto the bed then locked her gun and badge away in her lockbox and headed straight for the shower.

After showering, blow drying her hair and getting re-dressed in more comfortable attire, the brunette padded into the kitchen. Tonight was one of the rare occasions where Olivia was home before Alex and the detective was going to make the most of it by firstly cooking a dinner for her lover before she got home. She opened the fridge and peeked inside, assessing her ingredients to figure out what she could make. Not many people knew that Olivia could cook, but she could and when she put her mind to it, it turned out pretty damn tasty. A satisfactory smile spread across the brunette's features as she figured out she had all that she needed to make one of Alex's favourite dishes, spaghetti carbonara.

About twenty minutes later, she had laid the table, even placing candles in the middle to set the mood. Everything was going smoothly in the kitchen, the spaghetti was almost done and Alex would be arriving home in ten minutes or so. The only thing Olivia had left to do was finish off the sauce. As she was stood over the stove, stirring the sauce, she flicked on the radio and began tapping her foot to the beat of the song, then her head started bobbing along to the beat, and her body began swaying a little bit.

Before long, the detective was humming along and became so engrossed in the dancing; the humming and the sauce that she didn't hear Alex enter the apartment or even see her standing in the kitchen doorway.

The attorney crossed her legs at the ankles and grinned to herself. She surveyed her girlfriend from head to toe, taking in that not only was she cooking, but she was dancing at the same time and all the while wearing only a simple white tank top and grey boy shorts. Alex couldn't help but find the scene before her highly amusing and highly arousing. Alex was going to cough and announce her presence but she figured she'd wait and see how long it would be before the detective noticed her.

Olivia, still humming along, was completely oblivious to her admirer and as the chorus kicked in, she sang out. "If you could see that I'm the one who understands you, been here all along so why can't you see-eee-eee, you belong with me-eee-eee. . ." Olivia spun around and jumped about 10 feet in the air when her eyes fell on Alex. "Shit!" she exclaimed throwing the spoon she held in her hand as a microphone, backwards.

Alex burst out laughing. "Oh please don't stop on my account." She said, shaking off her grey suit jacket.

Olivia turned the radio off and her cheeks reddened. "Quit laughing at me." She said, through laughter of her own.

"I never pegged you as a Taylor Swift fan, Liv." Alex quipped.

"I just like that song . . . I made dinner." She said quickly trying to change the subject.

"I can see that. It smells amazing but," Alex looked Olivia up and down slowly, "I can't possibly eat when you look so hot. Are you trying to seduce me, detective?" the attorney asked suggestively.

"I don't know Counsellor, am I?" Olivia arched an eyebrow playfully.

Alex nodded. "I think you are." The blonde moved a few steps closer to close the gap between them. Snaking her arms around Olivia's waist, she raised her tank top slightly and let her fingertips gently caress Olivia's lower back, knowing her lower back was a sensitive spot. Alex grinned when she felt the brunette shiver under her touch.

Olivia reached behind her, taking Alex's hands in her own and slowly pushed Alex backwards till Alex's back came into contact with the kitchen wall. The brunette leaned into Alex's body, perfectly pinning her into the wall, and moving her arms to either side of her head. "I think, if I was trying to seduce you, I'd be doing this," Olivia bent her right leg and pushed it between Alex's thighs, causing the blonde to gasp at the contact. "And this," Olivia began to pepper kisses along Alex's collar bone, nipping slightly, then soothing with tender kisses. "And maybe this too." The brunette whispered as her left hand released her grip on Alex's wrist and travelled down through the attorney's silky hair, flawless porcelain skin, and settling on a small yet perfectly formed breast.

Alex's breath hitched in her throat, "Liv . . ." She expertly removed her black framed glasses, putting them on the counter and pulling Olivia's mouth up to meet hers. The need to feel her lovers lips on her own becoming too much. As their kiss deepened, Olivia quickly pulled Alex's shirt from her skirt and deftly unbuttoned and tossed the shirt aside.

"You're so beautiful Alex," Olivia breathed against her girlfriend's lips. "And I am most definitely trying to seduce you." She laughed, huskily.

Alex laughed with her and pulled Liv as close as possible by her hips. "It's working."

Olivia kissed her again, over and over again. "Good. I made a promise, remember?" Liv let her fingertips trail down Alex's sides, pushing her skirt off in the process.

"How could I forget," Alex replied, her sky blue eyes clouding over with desire. Without another word, Olivia hoisted Alex, who was now wearing only a black bra and panties, onto her hips and carried her towards the bedroom.

"Liv, dinner?" Alex mumbled between feverish kisses.

"It'll keep," was the short reply Olivia gave as she dropped Alex onto the bed and climbed above her.

The blonde pulled the detective's tank top over her head and made sure that every part of exposed flesh was touching. In one swift motion Alex rolled them both over so she was now straddling Liv. She never broke eye contact with Olivia as she removed her bra and threw it behind her. Olivia sat up and placed butterfly kisses across her toned pale stomach to which Alex threw her head back, revelling in the sweet kisses.

While Alex was preoccupied by what Olivia was doing, the brunette pushed Alex to the side so she was back on top. Olivia hovered above her girlfriend, their lips millimetres apart, both feeling the others hot breath on their already tingling skin. "Tonight, is all about you baby," Olivia said. "Tomorrow night can be about me, I'll let you pamper me." She teased. "The weekend is our own but tonight, it's all you."

"I love you." Alex said, pushing Olivia's hair behind her ear.

"I love you too." Olivia replied before taking Alex's lips in her own once again. Suffice to say, dinner got burned and it certainly didn't keep.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Alex groaned into her pillow as the piercing sound of her girlfriend's cell phone filled the dark bedroom. She squinted at the red numbers on her alarm clock; 4:27am. She looked over her shoulder to see Liv still sleeping soundly, how she couldn't hear her own phone was beyond Alex. The blonde untangled herself from Olivia's arms, rolled over, and reached for Olivia's phone then shook Olivia gently.

"Mmm? " Olivia sighed sleepily.

"Baby, your phone." Alex dangled the device in front of the brunette's eyes.

Olivia leaned up on her elbow and groaned. She knew what a call at this time of night would mean, a new case. "Benson." She answered her voice still full with sleep. "I'm on my way." She slumped back into her pillow.

Alex rolled over onto her side of the bed as Olivia rolled out of her side. "Get a new case?" Alex asked groggily.

"Yeah," Liv said as she fumbled around in the top drawer of the dresser. "A double homicide." Olivia continued to search through the drawer. "Damn it," she mumbled.

Alex sat up more fully in the bed, "What is it babe?"

Olivia sighed and turned around to Alex, giving her a slightly flustered glance. "It's laundry day . . ."

Alex knew exactly what Olivia meant by that statement. She simply smiled as she pushed the sheets off of her and made her way over to Olivia's side. She wrapped her arms around her waist and kissed her neck as she whispered, "Well I guess you'll just have to borrow these . . ." Alex reached around Liv and pulled a pair of black lace cheeky underwear out of her side of the drawer.

Olivia playfully grabbed them and then went to her closet for her outfit and changed for the day.

Alex climbed back into bed and began to slowly drift back to sleep. She mumbled, "Be careful," as Olivia walked back over to the bed.

"I will." Olivia leaned over and kissed Alex's cheek softly. "I'll call you later."

*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/

Olivia pulled up to a brownstone in Stapleton and killed the engine of her car. Yellow crime scene tape cordoned off a perimeter to the home and several CSU techs were walking around the property. The sirens and lights had also drawn a crowd to the typically quiet subdivision and Olivia had to push her way through. She flashed her badge to an officer and strode up to the front door.

When she opened the door she had to immediately side step several drops of blood. A flash illuminated in her eye sight. "Hey, watch it," she said to the tech who apologized. "Elliot? Cragen?" she called out.

"We're up here!" Elliot yelled from the second story of the house.

"Be careful on the steps," the tech with the camera said. "It looks like your killer bled on his way down the stairs."

Olivia stayed to the left side of the stairs as she made her way up and joined Elliot and Cragen in the bedroom. "Wow," Olivia said astonished as she walked into the crime scene.

"Their granddaughter found them here this morning," Elliot said dismally, "not exactly a good wake up call."

"Munch and Fin took her down to the precinct," Cragen added.

Olivia walked over to the first victim, an elderly female lying decapitated in the bed. Her head lay positioned on the pillow as though she was sleeping but what really surprised Liv was the lack of blood on the sheets. Olivia put on gloves and pulled the sheet off her body. She was lying in her undergarments and had a large gash in her left side. Skin was pulled back and only a small trickle of blood stained the skin and the sheets.

Olivia looked around the room. "She was dead when the killer took an organ; so where was she killed?"

"In the kitchen most likely," Cragen said, "there's a big pool of blood around the kitchen island. It looks like she was slicing an orange when the killer attacked. She never even saw it coming."

"Come take a look at this," Elliot said. He was standing over the male victim. Elliot pulled back the sheet on that side of the bed to reveal a missing right hand. "And it seems he was killed in the bathroom over there."

Olivia looked down at the male victim. His head had also been severed and then gently placed on the pillow and his body then covered by the sheet. He too was also only in his boxers and had minimal blood loss around the severed head and hand. "So are we thinking serial killer who likes trophies?" Liv asked.

Cragen made his way to the bathroom to talk to one of the techs in there. "Any luck?"

The tech shook his head 'no' and grabbed his bag as he stood to walk out.

"This is not our guy's first killing, there were no prints and so far not much evidence left behind." Cragen said.

"Well what about the blood splatter down the stairs?" Liv asked.

"Eh," Elliot said as he bent down for a closer look at the victim, "I wouldn't hold my breath it's probably the wives blood as the killer drug her up the stairs."

Olivia walked into the bathroom to look over the crime scene herself. Blood was splattered all over the white subway tiled walls and a massive pool of blood lay just below the sink. "So our killer sneaks up on our male vic, bashes his head against the sink, and then decapitates him right on the bathroom floor before he drags the dead bodies back to the bed to tuck them neatly away?"

"It seems that way," Cragen said. "What I don't get is why bother to decapitate the victims? The male here was clearly already knocked out when he got to him."

"Ah, look what I found embedded in his severed wrist," Elliot said as he held up a copper coin.

Olivia walked back over to the female victim and held a flashlight up to the cut in the her abdomen. The light glinted and another piece of copper shone. "Looks like I found one here too."

Cragen put on a pair of gloves and Elliot handed him the coin. He turned it over in his hand a few times. "Liv, I think you need to call Alex out here."

"Why?" Olivia asked.

"Because I think she might be able to tell us what this is."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Alexandra stood at the foot of the bed in a trance. She had seen this crime before but had never expected it to follow her to America. She couldn't peel her eyes away from the victims lying decapitated in their bed. This was their home. They were supposed to be safe here.

Olivia saw the torment written across the blondes face. Liv brought her hand to Alex's shoulder to bring her out of the daze. "Is everything ok?" Olivia whispered quietly so only Alex could hear.

Alex gave an almost imperceptible nod as she turned to face Cragen who held out his hand and instinctively gave her the coin. The attorney flipped it over in her hand, studying it, but not really needing too. Her fears were confirmed. She snapped her head up. "This is a multi murder," Alex said. "A Sangoma doctor uses body parts to perform chants, healings, divination, and most often the parts are kept and used as medicinal potions later on."

Elliot shifted on his feet. "So you're telling me a witch doctor killed these people?"

Alex shifted her focus and blinked once as she faced Elliot. "No, the doctor never does the killing. Let me see what they took."

Olivia walked back toward the bed and once again flipped the sheets back, exposing the wounds of the victims.

"You'll find a correlation between what was taken and their personal lives. He must have been good with his hands, and she may have survived a kidney transplant or with only one . . . something to that effect."

Olivia nodded her head. "Anything else we need to know?"

Alex stepped closer to Olivia, closer to the female victim. "They'll have the same coins in their eyes."

Olivia reached down with her gloved hand and lifted one eyelid and a similar copper coin fell out. "What is the significance of the coins?"

Alex stared down at the copper, once again drifting off to someplace else. "It catches the screams of the one who finds them. It seals is the power of the taken limb or organ." She glanced back up at Olivia and then turned to walk out of the room before she turned around once again. "This killer is not done; he'll keep killing until he's caught. And if there's one thing I learned in Africa, the multi murder killer always leaves a clue to his next victim." Alex turned on her heals and left, eager to get out of that house.

Cragen spoke into the silence, "Well let's pass on what we know to Melinda and hopefully she'll be able to tell us more about how they were murdered." The three of them began making their descent down the steps and out the door.

There were still several neighbors lingering around outside, each hoping for a glance of the terror that had occurred in that house. None of them knew the extent of what had happened, for if they did, they would surely not linger.

Olivia and Elliot started talking to some of the neighbors and eventually found the neighborhood spy.

x-x-x-x-x-x

"So, Mrs. Kelly, how long have you known the Richardson's?" Elliot asked as he and Olivia entered the house of the elderly woman.

"About 15 years. I've known them ever since they first arrived in the neighborhood." Mrs. Kelly guided the detectives into her living room and motioned for them to take a seat. "Can I get you both a drink?" she asked warmly.

"No thank you ma'am" Olivia politely declined. "Can you tell us if they've been acting any differently lately?"

"No not at all, I saw Linda just the other evening. She and Larry were as happy as young lovers; they'd just booked a Caribbean cruise." The older woman looked as though she was in her late seventies, her hair was white as snow and she had a very inviting persona. "I can't understand anyone wanting to hurt them." She covered her mouth and blinked back a few tears.

Elliot leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I know this is very distressing Mrs. Kelly, but if there's anything at all you can tell us? You said outside you had some information?" He coerced gently.

Mrs. Kelly furrowed her brow. "I do apologize, yes I remember," she laughed shaking her head at herself. "I'd forget my head if it wasn't screwed on. Last night, I was on my way up to bed and went to draw the curtains in my bedroom. I looked outside and I saw a white van, first time I've seen it around here."

"Did you see anyone enter or exit the vehicle or catch a license plate number?" Olivia took out her notepad, ready to jot down anything that could help the investigation.

"No, I just went to bed, but when I woke up during the night to go to the bathroom, I looked out the window again and the van was gone."

"What kind of van was it?" Elliot asked.

"Maybe a Ford . . . or possibly a Chevrolet. Oh, I think it also might have had a Bobby's Butcher's logo on the side." Mrs. Kelly worried her lower lip as she thought back to the night before. "That's all I can remember, I'm sorry I can't be of any more help, Detectives."

Olivia smiled warmly to reassure the older woman. "You've been very helpful Mrs. Kelly." She dug into the pocket of her jeans and handed over her contact card. "If you remember anything else, call me on that number."

Elliot and Olivia stood up from the couch. "Thank you for your time." Elliot smiled at her then followed Olivia out.

x-x-x-x-x-x

When Elliot and Olivia arrived back at the precinct, Cragen, Fin and Munch were huddled around the computer screens going over the crime scene photos and what they knew so far. Elliot went straight over to join them let them know what Mrs. Kelly had told them.

"Nosey Neighbor says she saw a white van with a Bobby's Butcher Shop logo on the side, that's all we got Cap." Elliot announced as he entered the squad room.

Olivia was hot on his heels when she noticed Alex standing idly over at the coffee machine, her arms crossed around herself. Her girlfriend seemed to be deep in thought so she gently sidled up next to her.

"Alex, how the hell do you wear these lacy cheekies or whatever you call them, they're seriously riding up my ass," Olivia said in hushed tone, a small smirk gracing her lips as she tried to pull her girlfriend out of her stupor.

Alex's furrowed expression softened at the brunette's words. "You get used to them."

Olivia sensed that the blonde wasn't quite with her at that moment so she inched a little closer and caressed her cheek. "Penny for your thoughts?"

The blonde sighed heavily. "When I was in Africa, I saw this kind of ritual killing more than once, it's a common occurrence over there but here in New York . . ." She shook her head. "You see some really terrible things here, but I never expected to see that. I don't know why but I feel uneasy about all this, Liv. If I'm completely honest, I'm scared."

Olivia turned Alex to face her and cupped Alex's face in her hands to make sure she could look directly into her eyes. "Sweetie, I understand Africa was a horrible experience for you, but you're back home now with me and you have no reason to be scared. There is nothing to say that this murder is even connected to anything over there."

Alex bowed her head, blowing out a long puff of air as she took Liv's hands in her own. "I know but seeing that crime scene, it shook me a little."

"That's understandable; but trust me when I say you're safe here. You're safe with me."

Alex looked deep into Liv's eyes and brought the brunette's arms around her back into an embrace. "I do trust you." Alex said into her neck as she wrapped her arms around Liv's neck.

Olivia kissed the side of Alex's head gently. "Good to know."

Alex reluctantly pulled back. "You better go join the boys over there."

"Yeah I guess I should, are you going to be ok?" Liv asked.

"Yes of course, go. I'm fine, really." Alex squeezed Liv's hand to silently reassure her. Olivia kissed her on the cheek and began to walk away.

The blonde admired her girlfriend as she went to join the other detectives but felt the need to call her back. "Uh Liv?"

Olivia spun around. "Yeah?"

"Your swagger is a little off." Alex had to bite her lower lip to stop herself from laughing and drawing attention to herself.

Olivia looked puzzled for a moment and then it dawned on her what Alex was meaning. "I told you . . ." She lowered her tone so only Alex could hear. "They are seriously way up there!"

Alex laughed and moved closer to Liv. "I think it's kind of sexy that you're wearing my underwear."

"Ohhh I get it, this was your plan all along."

"Plan?" Alex feigned ignorance.

"Yeah, you knew I'd be uncomfortable in these so you gave me them to wear so I'd end up taking them off. You just wanted me to go commando." Olivia nodded, grinning.

Alex gasped in mock horror. "Moi?" She grinned, but didn't draw out the shock much longer. "Ok, you got me."

"I knew it!" Olivia shook her head laughing. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see if your little plan works." Liv winked and then sauntered off towards Elliot, putting an extra swing in her hips just for Alex. She heard Alex giggle behind her and smiled to herself having successfully taken her girlfriend's mind off of what had been worrying her, for the time being anyway. She had a feeling this case was only going to get worse.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Not but an hour later a tech from the CSU team walked into the precinct and purposefully to Cragen's office. Olivia and Elliot both looked up from their desks. A tech coming to the precinct instead of waiting for the detectives to come and pester them definitely meant bad news. Without a sideways glance, both Liv and Elliot got up from their desks and walked into Cragen's office.

The tech eyed Olivia but quickly looked away as he headed back out the office door. Cragen was standing behind his desk with something in one hand while the other was rubbing his temple. "Shut the door behind you."

Elliot did as was asked.

"What did they find?" Olivia asked apprehensively as she crossed her arms.

"CSU found this picture at the crime scene," Cragen said as he handed the photo over to Olivia and watched her reaction.

Olivia's eyes got wider as she held the picture in her hands. Her hands felt unsteady but she didn't let that show. _This couldn't be right._ It was a picture of her and Alex taken almost six months ago. They were walking in the park; their hands intertwined enjoying an afternoon stroll on one of their free days. They didn't get many of those which was why Olivia knew the approximate time frame. The picture was taken from behind a tree it seemed. This was without a doubt a stalkers photograph.

Liv covered her mouth with one hand and sat the picture back done on Cragen's desk.

"If that was found at the crime scene . . ." Elliot said.

Olivia interrupted him, "Then it means that these guys are coming after Alex and I next."

**A/N: Reviews make us happy and write faster ^-^ **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Liv, wait," Elliot called after Olivia.

She was already practically running down the stairs and out the front doors of the precinct. Elliot was close on her heels.

"We need to go to the butcher's shop." Olivia called over her shoulder. She didn't wait for Elliot to claim his customary position at the driver's side of the squad car. Instead she threw open the door, climbed in, and roared the engine.

Elliot climbed in beside her. "Don't you want to call Alex?" he asked. "Her life could very well be in danger."

Olivia peeled off and began maneuvering her way through traffic. _I know that, so is mine._ She needed an answer to all the questions running through her mind, and she needed one now. And the only way to get answers to those questions was to immediately follow the first lead they had. She couldn't worry about Alex's reaction to the news just yet. "Call the squad; get them to put a tail on her. I want someone to watch her from a distance, but don't let her see them." _There's no reason to get her any more scared than she already is._

Elliot began dialing.

x-x-x-x-x-x

**LaGuardia Airport**

The passenger gripped the arm rests on the seat of her chair. Their plane was descending. "I always hated this part of the trip," she said.

"Me too," said the other passenger. "My mom always said the worst part of flying was the ascent."

"Why's that dear?" the lady asked.

"Well," said the girl in her late teens, "if the plane makes it into the air then you know it's working properly and you shouldn't have anything else to fear. The pilot knows what he's doing." She turned to face the lady passenger. "Makes no sense if you ask me, anyone can go up, it's the going down that's the hard part."

The older lady quietly laughed at the young ladies choice of words. "Well, mothers always know best don't they?"

"Well, they at least think they do."

The plane landed with fierce velocity but quickly came to a rolling stop. The over head chamber spoke, "Please remain seated until the captain has turned off the fasten seatbelts sign. There is only one plane ahead of us. We should be docked and unloading in no time." Another ding signified the speaker had hung up.

"Do you have any children?" The teen asked the lady sitting next to her.

The lady smiled as her eyes drifted up in thought. "I used to, well, I hope I still do." She turned once again to face the teen. "Family can be a tricky subject matter."

The girl huffed, "tell me about it. I was just forced to spend two whole weeks with my dad in Iowa."

Another ding filled the cabin. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at LaGuardia airport, New York City, New York. It's a cool 86 degrees and traffic is the same as usual. We thank you for flying with us. You may now exit the cabin."

"No place like home," said the young lady.

"No place like home indeed," said the older lady. She unfastened her belt and began searching the overhead department for her carry on, but it had slid down the way a bit. "Excuse me, excuse me sir,"

A man turned his head in her direction when he heard a voice calling. He was a middle aged man dressed in traditional, colorful African garb. A grin showed off his white teeth. "May I help you?"

"Yes, my bag slid backwards and I can't reach it with everyone passing . . . would you mind?"

"No mam, not at all." He grabbed the bag and handed it to her as he passed. "First time in the city?"

"No," she laughed. "No, not at all, but it's been a long time."

"Well, welcome home then." He said as he beamed at her. It was a genuine smile, but something about it made her just the slight bit uneasy.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Olivia eased the car into a parking spot right out front of Bobby's Butcher's. She had calmed her nerves down so that she could think clearly and intentionally. She and Elliot strode for the front door.

They walked into an off white waiting area. There were shelving units to their left stacked with breads and chips and spices along with jerky and other meat market finds. A matching off white bench sat against the window which had a huge 'Bobby's Butcher's' decal. The counter and register were the same stark off white that faded in with the surroundings.

A clerk made her way to the front register. She wore a white apron over her clothing and a somber expression. Elliot flashed his badge as they walked up to the register. She began to back away, dubious of their intentions.

"Relax mam, we're not from immigration. We just want a word with your boss." Elliot stole a sideways glance at Olivia and could tell that she did already not like this situation.

"He's in the back, I can take you to him," she said, her accent still very deep. She led them past the counter and through a set of swinging doors.

The kitchen was a large open area. Large sink basins filled the back wall and large butcher blocks stood in the middle of the room. A meat slicer and several knives sat on one of the tables. A man in his late fifties walked into the room from the meat locker on the opposite side of the room. He slung a giant cow carcass over his shoulder and slammed it down on a slab. "What can I do for you two?" he asked.

Olivia took a step toward him, widening her stance, giving off that authoritative presence. "We're here about a van that was parked outside of a house in Stapleton last night. We're going to need a list of all your drivers and an order summary."

The butcher looked toward the clerk, "Would you go get them a copy of last night's deliveries and the list of drivers." She nodded and quickly trod off toward the office. He picked up the knife that was lying beside the carcass and brought it above his head.

"Woah, woah, put the knife down now!" Elliot said as he instinctively reached for his gun and unclipped the holster but not yet bringing it out.

The knife made a loud noise as it collided through the muscles of the cow and hit the other side of the butcher block. "I do have work to do detectives," he said. The head of the cow gently lulled to the side.

Olivia eyed the wound pattern on the cow's neck. It was similar to her victims. "You make very precise cuts." She stated.

"I'm a butcher, that's what I do."

The clerk made her way back and handed Elliot some paper work. He quickly glanced through the several sheets that were handed to him. "There are a lot of names here. How many people do you have working for you?"

"We have a high turnover rate. When someone new arrives here, we give them a job until they can find a better, steadier job."

"And how long have you been in the country? Your English is very good." Olivia commented.

He gave a slight smile. "I encourage all of my employees to learn English and to learn it well. There are lots of opportunities in America. With patience, and a little bit of luck, we can all make our way. American dream right?"

Olivia gave a slight nod in her head, but was still apprehensive of this guy. Yet without further need to question him, Elliot and Olivia headed back to the squad to go through the long list of names on the employment list given to them.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Miss Cabot, I'm on my way home now, can I get you anything before I leave?"

Alex looked up from her desk to see her assistant, Jamie, peeking around the door. She smiled warmly at her assistant of a year and shook her head. "No thank you, Jamie. See you in the morning."

"Ok, goodnight," Jamie said as she shut the door behind her.

Alex looked down at the closing statement she had been preparing, all the words seem to all blend into one so she decided that was a sign for her to head home for the day too. She diligently packed away various pieces of paper work into her leather attaché, turned off her desk lamp, picked up her car keys and headed for the door.

Locking her office door behind her she juggled several items in her hands as she reached for her cell phone to check for any missed calls or messages. There were none whatsoever. Disappointed, she put her cell back into her pocket. Alex was hoping to hear from Olivia but understood that because of the case, time wasn't on Olivia's side. She walked down the hallway towards the elevators and noticed for the first time how eerie her place of work was after dark. She shivered slightly and stopped to look around; everybody had gone home except for maybe one employee at the office at the other end of the corridor where the light was still shining. Normally the emptiness wouldn't have bothered the attorney but for some reason, something felt off that night.

She pushed the button for the elevator and much to Alex's joy, it opened straight away. She stepped inside and watched the doors shut, suddenly feeling safe inside the elevator. Once out of the building and onto the sidewalk she began the small walk to her car. The cold night air hit her instantly causing Alex to tug the coat tighter around herself.

As she walked to her car, she got the distinct feeling she wasn't alone. She stopped in her tracks and spun around. "Who's there?" She looked around but couldn't see anybody. She continued walking a bit more cautious of her surroundings and then she heard something.

Footsteps.

She turned around again but this time a man stood before her. Alex's heart started to pound in her chest.

He opened his mouth to speak, "Miss. . . "

But before he could get another word out, she did the only thing her brain told her to do in that instant, punch him square in the nose. The sudden surprise blow to the man's face knocked him backwards onto the concrete.

"Ah geez," he said, sitting forward holding his bloody nose.

Alex shook her hand, feeling pretty pleased with herself even though it hurt quite a bit. "Who the hell are you and what do you want!" She tried to keep her voice as even as possible, not wanting show her fear.

"I'm keeping an eye on you," said the man as he stood up still holding his nose and pulling his blazer to the side to reveal a NYPD police badge. "Detective Harper, at your service." He said with a hint of sarcasm.

Alex frowned. "Why?"

"Detective Benson's orders."

"Oh really? Well since I don't need keeping an eye on, you are free to go home."

"Detective Benson made it pretty clear that- . . ." he started but was immediately cut off my Alex.

"Oh grow a pair will you! Goodnight, Detective." Alex strode the last few steps to her car and slammed the car door shut behind her.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Olivia opened the door to the apartment, happy to be home after a really long day but dreading telling Alex about the recent revelation. Cragen had ordered all his Detectives to go home and get some rest and they would pick up where they left off in the morning. Normally Liv would have argued and stayed longer but she knew Alex would be waiting for her. She rarely stayed back anymore, unless it was mandatory. She took off her leather jacket and hung it up by the door. As she did so her senses were overloaded with the most tantalizing smell wafting through from what could only be the kitchen.

"Something smells good." Olivia smiled, walking towards her girlfriend and dropping a kiss to her blonde tresses.

"Yes it does." Alex started to put the dinner out, but only onto one plate not making any attempt to acknowledge Olivia's greeting.

Noticing only the one plate, Olivia frowned. "Are you not having any?"

Alex looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "This _is_ for me." She said as she side stepped the brunette and went to sit down at the dining room table leaving a confused Olivia in the kitchen. It was clear the blonde was angry at her but she wasn't sure why.

After a split second of debating whether to follow Alex or get her own plate, Liv went to join her girlfriend and sat down across from her. Her belly growled with hunger at the sight of Alex's dinner but she pushed her hunger pangs to the back of her mind to deal with the matter at hand.

Olivia leant forward on the table. "Alex there's something I need to tell you."

Alex dropped her knife and fork onto the plate and folded her arms across her chest. "This wouldn't be about the tail you put on me would it?"

"You know about that?"

"I sure do." Alex said sharply. "Let's just say his nose got to know my fist pretty intimately."

In other circumstances, Olivia would have laughed at that remark but not this time. "There's a reason why I did that." Olivia replied. She was irritated by the blonde's tone but kept her voice even.

"What the hell were you thinking Olivia?" Alex barked. Olivia opened her mouth to answer but Alex didn't give her a chance. "You know how shaky I've been since seeing that crime scene, what made you think It was a good idea to have some _stranger_ follow me around, in the dark no less?"

"He's not some stranger Alex; he's a fellow detective, and a good one!" Olivia shouted back, her anger bubbling in her stomach. "Forgive me for wanting to protect the most important person in my life!"

"I don't need protecting!" Alex spat.

"I think you do."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Olivia sighed. "The CSU tech found a photograph at the crime scene this morning."

"A photograph of whom?"

"You and me. It was taken 6 Months ago when we were walking through Central Park."

Alex slumped in her chair, now she really felt like she had a reason to be scared. "Is it a message? Are we being targeted?"

"We're not sure, maybe. That's why I had Harper watch out for you this afternoon, I didn't have time to call you and tell you so I figured that was my best option. I was worried." Olivia's said softly.

Alex stood up and rubbed her face roughly. "Arrgh you're so over protective! You treat me like a child! It's like you think I can't handle it!" she snapped and began pacing the floor.

"That's not true and you know it!"

"Ever since Velez, you treat me like I'm damaged!"

"You're being unfair, Alex."

"I don't care! I don't care, Liv!" Alex stopped her pacing and turned her back to Olivia.

"You don't' care? That's real nice." Olivia stormed to the door and put her jacket on angrily. Alex turned around to see what she was doing.

"Where are you going?" Alex asked bluntly.

"Out!" Olivia replied curtly, as she opened the door and slammed it shut behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Alex sat down heavily on the couch for what seemed like the millionth time that night. She had paced the living room floor countless times since Olivia had stormed out of their apartment a couple of hours earlier but to Alex, it had felt like days had passed. She sat forward and perched on the edge of the couch, reaching for her iPhone to call the detective once again. It didn't ring at all before going straight to voicemail, she'd already tried calling a number of times but each time she received no answer. That wasn't like Olivia, even when she was angry; she always picked her phone up so Alex was slightly worried to say the least. The blonde stood up and began to pace again and vowed that if she hadn't heard from her other half in the next fifteen minutes then she was calling Elliot and then if needs must, Cragen. Alex chewed on her fingernails nervously, her brain whirling with the thoughts that something might have happened; the sudden possible threat on their lives feeling very real at this point.

Five minutes had passed; Olivia had another ten minutes to get her ass back home before Alex called in the big guns. The blonde caught sight of her half eaten dinner on the dining room table; she stopped pacing and took the plate to the sink to wash it. After she had done that, another three minutes had gone. Alex threw the dish towel onto the bench in frustration. Time was going way too slow and her anger was only building more.

Alex knew that her words had caused Olivia to storm out in the first place but that didn't stop the younger woman from wanting to rip her a new one right at that moment. Alex checked her watch again and padded forcefully back to the living area to retrieve her phone. She was about to dial Elliot's number when she heard the lock on the front door click open. She turned around to find Olivia entering the apartment.

"Where the hell have you been?" Alex yelled, much louder than intended.

"Out." Olivia repeated her earlier statement curtly, deliberately avoiding eye contact with the blonde. She headed straight for the bedroom.

Alex's anger bubbled again. "You don't think it would have been nice to answer my calls or I don't know; maybe let me know that you're not dead?"

"Oh so you care now!" Olivia said, her words dripping with bitterness as she took off her jacket and tossed over the back of the couch. "Why do I have a hard time believing that?"

"Do you think I would have worn a whole in the floor if I didn't care?" Alex sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, forcing herself to calm down a little. "Look, I know what I said earlier was unfair, of course I care, I didn't mean what I said." She said her voice softening with each word.

"Alex I'm tried, I'm tired and I really don't want to talk about this right now." Olivia said dejectedly then disappeared into the bathroom. Alex threw her head back, rolled her eyes and blew out a large puff of air. Alex did not want this argument dragging on much longer, she hated it when they fought but a sadistic part of her liked it, mostly because the makeup sex _was_ mind blowing. But she figured this time there would be no makeup sex, not yet anyway.

Olivia closed the bathroom door behind her and sunk into the wood. Maybe Alex had a right to be angry at her, but Olivia hadn't said the hurtful things that the younger woman had. She was also pretty sure if Alex had called her, she would have heard her phone ring and she most definitely would have answered it. The brunette dug into the pocket of her pants and pulled out her phone, she pressed the button but the screen didn't light up meaning it needed charging. She quickly brushed her teeth, washed her face and then slipped into the bedroom to change into a white tank and grey pyjama shorts for bed.

Olivia plugged her phone in to charge and then pulled the covers back off the bed and slid under them, searching for the warmth needed after her long walk in the cold night air. She knew it had been stupid of her to go out when she could possibly have someone watching her but she had needed to get out, away from the blonde she loved so much. She curled onto her right side and closed her eyes.

Ten minutes later, light from the hallway engulfed the dark bedroom and Alex stepped into the room. Olivia watched her get undressed and then head for the bathroom. Olivia hated fighting with Alex but she was as stubborn as they come and Liv was damned sure she wasn't going to be the one to apologise first. The detective heard the water stop running in the bathroom then Alex exited said room and cautiously climbed into bed next to Olivia. Olivia remained facing away from the blonde. Alex lay on her back and turned her head to glance over at the brunette.

"Liv, are you awake?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah."

Alex debated her next move before giving in and rolling over closer to her detective and wrapping her left arm over the trim torso. Alex pulled Olivia to her and kissed her shoulder tenderly. "I'm sorry, I don't want to fight anymore."

Olivia froze momentarily before succumbing to the warm embrace. She didn't speak, allowing Alex to continue.

"I didn't mean those things I said, I was . . . I was just scared about what you were telling me about the photo and I was angry that you hadn't told me . . ." Olivia was about to butt in and plead her case again of why she hadn't told her, but Alex shushed her. "-It's ok, I know that you couldn't at the time, I understand that now. I'm also sorry about the Velez thing."

Olivia closed her eyes briefly before opening them again. "You have to know I only had Harper watch out for you because I couldn't handle it if something bad happened to you and I could have done something to stop it. Just like when you were shot."

Alex winced at the memory of her shooting. "Baby you did everything you could for me when I was shot, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here today." She said softly.

"I could have stopped it from happening."

"Liv, listen to me, what happened to me that day was not your fault. I know you over compensate your protectiveness now because of then; I understand that, and if I'm honest I love how protective you are of me . . . despite what I said."

"Well the let me protect you, let me make up for not doing my job properly then." Olivia whispered, her voice threatening to crack.

Alex was about to protest but knew it wouldn't make a difference and might even start a new fight so she just nodded and kissed the detective's neck tenderly. "Ok."

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief and turned in the attorney's arms to face her. "Thank you."

Alex smiled and wiped away a stray tear then fell from the brunette's eye with the pad of her thumb. "I love you."

"I love you too and I'm sorry."

"It's ok, its resolved now, let's move forward."

Olivia nodded in agreement, scooting closer to Alex and draping her right arm over her waist. "You have to know that I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you and I are both safe during this case."

"I know. You're my hero." Alex sighed dreamily trying to lighten the mood.

"I think the correct term would be heroine." Liv said matter of factly.

"I apologise, my heroine." The Attorney repeated smiling and then leaned forward for a soft sweet kiss.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The next day, Olivia was back at the precinct, combing through records of employees along with Elliot. So far, they had a list of employees with misdemeanours and nothing else major. Elliot sighed in frustration. Elliot through his pen down on the desk and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed behind his head. "Looks like we need a new lead, if it was one of these employees's that committed this murder, they'd have a prior."

Olivia looked up from her computer screen, "Not if they just got into the country."

Elliot shrugged, knowing Olivia was right.

"Or what about employees that just got to this state?" Malinda asked as she walked up to the two of them. She held a stack of papers in her hand and handed the file to Olivia. "I ran similar MO's to this case in the database . . ."

Elliot cut her off as he leaned forward in his chair, "We did that already, but there were too many dismemberment's around the country, none could be aesthetically linked."

"I was getting to that part," Malinda said in her tone of dry humour. "After calling a few different morgues, I found a few cases scattered throughout the states with similar abrasions to the neck wound. These details aren't always released to the database, but it looks likes if you find that knife you find the killer."

Olivia stared up at Malinda in admiration; she got out of her seat and placed a hand on her arm, "What would we do without you Malinda?"

Malinda raised an eyebrow and looked to Elliot, "You'd be chasing your tails." And with that, she sauntered back to her morgue.

Olivia walked around her desk and placed the file down in front of Elliot. "See if any of these employees were in any of these states around the time of the murders."

Elliot began typing away on his computer while Olivia stood watching over his shoulder. One hit popped up on the screen. Elliot hit print and Olivia rushed to the printer to retrieve the document. "Looks like he's here in town now, let's go check him out." Olivia said and the two of them headed out the precinct.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Blue and red lights flashed from police cruisers. Elliot pulled their squad car up close to one of the other police cars. The two of them shot a look at each other, instantly concerned. They climbed out of their vehicle and were halted by another cop that stood outside of the yellow police tape. The two of them flashed their badges. "I'm Detective Elliot Stabler, and this is my partner Detective Benson." He pointed at the house that behind the cop, "Can you tell me what happened here?"

Olivia observed the scene, there were too many police officers here and too many of them were standing outside of the house merely loitering. A few of them talked to each other, but others stood off to the distance looking out at neighbourhood. Something was amiss.

"They say there's one dead body inside, but not many have the stomach for this type of murder."

Elliot looked at Olivia and they both had that gut instinct that this murder was linked to their case. They ducked beneath the police tape and headed for the house. The front steps were littered with what looked to be junk, and the door to the house was left standing wide open. Even from several yards away, Elliot and Olivia could smell the stench of rotting flesh.

Elliot was about to take his first step up the front stoop when a detective rushed out the front door. He ran as far from the house as he could and then doubled over and began vomiting wretchedly.

Olivia eyed the detective and then headed toward him. "Detective Harper?" she asked.

He swiped at his mouth and then gave another hacking spit to the side before he looked up to her. "Benson," he said, "I'm glad you showed up." He rubbed his forehead, wiping off the sweat that trickled on his brow as he walked away from his vomit. "It's bad in there, but I think it may have something to do with your case."

Olivia nodded as she half expected that was coming. "Alright Harper, you might want to go have a seat for a while."

"I think I will have to, heads up before you go in there, prepare yourselves." He said as he walked back to his police cruiser and got behind the safety of his wheel.

Elliot chuckled, "looks like your buddy over in homicide needs to grow a pair. Are you sure he's the guy you want looking over Alex?"

Olivia sighed, "Let's not get into _that_ right now." She stepped into the small foyer. The house was messy and dirty, but did not show any trace of what she knew lingered beyond the walls. She expected to see a similar scene to what had been left behind at the previous house, lots of blood and a decapitated body missing a limb or organ.

They walked into the living room, still nothing out of the ordinary. The one thing that the house lacked was cops. No one seemed to be in the house. No one wanted to be in the house because no one wanted the image of what they were about to see ingrained in their memory for life.

The stench grew stronger as they rounded the living room into the kitchen. A large pool of blood lay in the center of the kitchen, barely in view. Their eyes followed the blood up to the walls where several arterial sprays hit, telling the tale of a brutal slaying. Cautiously they walked into the kitchen, careful to avoid any blood splatter on the floor.

Olivia kept her eyes on the ground, watching her step, but paused when she saw a blood trail where the body had obviously been dragged. Her eyes followed the trail through the kitchen and down the hall. She followed it until she got to the master bedroom. The door was wide open and she entered the room. When her eyes lifted up, she gasped, horrified and stumbled backwards a few steps, bumping into the door behind her and covering her mouth with her hand.

Elliot was close behind her, "Jesus, Mary and Joseph," he mumbled under his breath.

It was a body, but it wasn't a complete body. The arms were separated, and nailed to the wall, flayed of skin and with thick nine inch nails to hold them in place. The palms lay open in surrender. The torso was split down the middle, the skin peeled off and the ribs snapped in half. The same nails held the torso to the wall. All of the organs laid scattered on the floor beneath. His heart, his lungs, kidneys, liver, and intestines each gashed and split. His legs lay on the floor with his organs, each separated from the body. There were cut marks between the toes indicating torture.

The two of them stared at what used to be a body. "Where's the head?" Elliot asked.

Olivia gulped, but her stomach stayed steady. She shook her head and then looked toward the bed. The white comforter was pulled all the way up, but tiny red stains caught her attention. She stepped closer to the bed and ripped back the covers.

There was the head, without eyes or eyelids, and his lips were cut off, and tongue was cut out. The head sat there staring at them, taunting them, terrifying them. But it wasn't the head Olivia focused o;, it was the object beside the head.

Elliot noticed Olivia's gaze and followed it to the item. "What is it?" he asked.

Olivia scowled and stepped closer, it was a ring, but not just any ring. "I've seen this ring before," she said as she looked to Elliot.

"It looks like an expensive ring," he said.

"It was," Olivia answered, "It belonged to Alex's mother."

**A/N: OooOOOOooooo terrible cliff hanger we know! Reviews make us super happy! Sorry this update took so long, one of us *cough Liv-and-Love cough* was in the hospital for a week with a sick baby who's all better now eek.**


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